Baseball Dynasties: The Greatest Teams of All Time

by Eddie Epstein, Rob Neyer

Overview

A must-have for any diehard baseball fan, this lively, authoritative book answers the classic question "Who was the greatest team of all time?"

It's a debate nearly as old as the sport itself. Sure, there have been plenty of great baseball teams—but which was the best ever? While it seems like an unwinnable argument, the authors of Baseball Dynasties have risen to the challenge. They took the top fifteen teams of the twentieth century, ran them through rigorous statistical analysis, and threw in some good old-fashioned opinion in their quest to determine, definitively, who was the greatest team in the history of baseball. Looking at continued brilliance over time (no one-season wonders allowed), Hall of Famers on the roster, offensive and defensive production, performance in the postseason, and numerous other tangibles and intangibles, Eddie Epstein and Rob Neyer put each team under the microscope—and picked a winner. Who will come out on top? Was it the 1927 Yankees, the legendary squad blessed with both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig? Or how about Earl Weaver's 1970 Orioles, who over a three-year span dominated their opponents at a higher level than any other team this century? Full of anecdotes, intriguing facts, and scores of statistics, Baseball Dynasties is a fascinating look at baseball history certain to provoke, entertain, and edify baseball fans of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393320084
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	04/17/2000
Edition description:	1 ED
Pages:	388
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.00(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction: Order Out of Chaos	11
	Glossary of Statistical Terms	17
Chapter 1	1906 Chicago Cubs	25
Chapter 2	1911 Philadelphia Athletics	45
Chapter 3	1912 New York Giants	64
Chapter 4	Way Back When: The Best of the Nineteenth Century	84
Chapter 5	1927 New York Yankees	92
Chapter 6	1929 Philadelphia Athletics	112
Chapter 7	1939 New York Yankees	132
Chapter 8	The Worst Teams of All Time	151
Chapter 9	1942 St. Louis Cardinals	165
Chapter 10	1953 New York Yankees	184
Chapter 11	1955 Brooklyn Dodgers	202
Chapter 12	There Were Others: The Greatest Black Teams	222
Chapter 13	1961 New York Yankees	229
Chapter 14	1970 Baltimore Orioles	251
Chapter 15	1974 Oakland A's	271
Chapter 16	They Just Missed the Cut	294
Chapter 17	1975 Cincinnati Reds	303
Chapter 18	1986 New York Mets	322
Chapter 19	1998 New York Yankees	342
Chapter 20	And the Winner Is ...	361
Appendix	Standard Deviation Scores	377

What People are Saying About This

Bill James

Bill James

It's wonderful to read a book by someone who really knows something about the great teams, knows things that I don't know, knows even important things that I didn't know. This is the book that everybody else who writes about great teams, for the next 30 years, will have to begin by reading, just so they know what they're talking about.

George F. Will

George F. Will

Baseball teams thrive on arguments. This book will start enough of them to keep the Hot Stove League in session all year long.

Davey Johson

Davey Johnson

Few athletes are part of one baseball dynasty. I was fortunate enough to be part of two. This book captures the unique characteristics that make great teams great.